Investment Analysts’ Recent Ratings Updates for C.R. Bard (BCR)

A number of firms have modified their ratings and price targets on shares of C.R. Bard (NYSE: BCR) recently:

8/5/2017 – C.R. Bard was downgraded by analysts at BidaskClub from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating.

8/3/2017 – C.R. Bard had its “hold” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Jefferies Group LLC.

8/1/2017 – C.R. Bard was downgraded by analysts at Zacks Investment Research from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating. According to Zacks, “Over the past one year, C. R. Bard has outperformed the broader industry trends with respect to price performance. The company exhibited a solid second quarter of 2017, beating the Zacks Consensus on both lines. Looking forward C. R. Bard is expected to benefit from the impending merger with Becton, Dickinson and Company, especially in the areas of medication management and infection prevention. The $24 billion transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2017. We believe the development will provide benefits to the combined entity and bolster its foothold in the global medical devices market. The growing adoption of Lutonix DCB is also expected to drive top-line growth in the coming quarters.However, a challenging Med-tech environment is a major concern. The company witnesses significant pricing pressure as well. Additionally, cutthroat competition in the hernia fixation and peripheral stent businesses are likely to dent growth.”

7/31/2017 – C.R. Bard was upgraded by analysts at Zacks Investment Research from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating. They now have a $360.00 price target on the stock. According to Zacks, “Over the past one year, C. R. Bard has outperformed the broader industry trends with respect to price performance. The company exhibited a solid second quarter of 2017, beating the Zacks Consensus on both lines. Looking forward C. R. Bard is expected to benefit from the impending merger with Becton, Dickinson and Company, especially in the areas of medication management and infection prevention. The $24 billion transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2017. We believe the development will provide benefits to the combined entity and bolster its foothold in the global medical devices market. The growing adoption of Lutonix DCB is also expected to drive top-line growth in the coming quarters.However, a challenging Med-tech environment is a major concern. The company witnesses significant pricing pressure as well. Additionally, cutthroat competition in the hernia fixation and peripheral stent businesses are likely to dent growth.”

7/19/2017 – C.R. Bard was downgraded by analysts at BidaskClub from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating.

7/17/2017 – C.R. Bard was downgraded by analysts at Zacks Investment Research from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating. According to Zacks, “Over the past one year, C. R. Bard has outperformed the broader industry trends with respect to price performance. However we feel the stock offers limited value to investors in the near term owing to it trading around $320 per share which is above Becton, Dickinson’s takeover price of $317 per share. The $24 billion transaction is expected to close by fall 2017. Looking forward C. R. Bard is expected to benefit from the impending merger, especially in the areas of medication management and infection prevention. We believe the development will provide benefits to the combined entity and bolster its foothold in the global medical devices market. The growing adoption of Lutonix DCB is also expected to drive top-line growth in the coming quarters. However, a challenging Med-tech environment is a major concern. The company witnesses significant pricing pressure as well.”

7/11/2017 – C.R. Bard had its “hold” rating reaffirmed by analysts at BMO Capital Markets. They now have a $317.00 price target on the stock.

7/8/2017 – C.R. Bard was upgraded by analysts at BidaskClub from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating.

6/21/2017 – C.R. Bard was upgraded by analysts at Zacks Investment Research from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating. They now have a $353.00 price target on the stock. According to Zacks, “Shares of the company returned higher than the broader industry in the last twelve months. Looking forward C. R. Bard is expected to benefit from the impending merger with Becton, Dickinson and Company, especially in the areas of medication management and infection prevention. The $24 billion transaction is expected to close by fall 2017. We believe the latest development will provide benefits to the combined entity and bolster its foothold in the global medical devices market. Further the company has gained prominence in the market with an expanding product portfolio and continuing regulatory approvals. The growing adoption of Lutonix DCB is also expected to drive top-line growth in the coming quarters. “

6/20/2017 – C.R. Bard was downgraded by analysts at Zacks Investment Research from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating. According to Zacks, “Shares of the company returned higher than the broader industry in the last twelve months. Looking forward C. R. Bard is expected to benefit from the impending merger with Becton, Dickinson and Company, especially in the areas of medication management and infection prevention. The $24 billion transaction is expected to close by fall 2017. We believe the latest development will provide benefits to the combined entity and bolster its foothold in the global medical devices market. Further the company has gained prominence in the market with an expanding product portfolio and continuing regulatory approvals. The growing adoption of Lutonix DCB is also expected to drive top-line growth in the coming quarters. “

6/13/2017 – C.R. Bard was upgraded by analysts at Zacks Investment Research from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating. They now have a $351.00 price target on the stock. According to Zacks, “Shares of the company returned higher than the broader industry in the last twelve months. Looking forward C. R. Bard is expected to benefit from the impending merger with Becton, Dickinson and Company, especially in the areas of medication management and infection prevention. The $24 billion transaction is expected to close by fall 2017. We believe the latest development will provide benefits to the combined entity and bolster its foothold in the global medical devices market. Further the company has gained prominence in the market with an expanding product portfolio and continuing regulatory approvals. The growing adoption of Lutonix DCB is also expected to drive top-line growth in the coming quarters. “

6/12/2017 – C.R. Bard was downgraded by analysts at Zacks Investment Research from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating. According to Zacks, “Shares of the company returned higher than the broader industry in the last twelve months. Looking forward C. R. Bard is expected to benefit from the impending merger with Becton, Dickinson and Company, especially in the areas of medication management and infection prevention. The $24 billion transaction is expected to close by fall 2017. We believe the latest development will provide benefits to the combined entity and bolster its foothold in the global medical devices market. Further the company has gained prominence in the market with an expanding product portfolio and continuing regulatory approvals. The growing adoption of Lutonix DCB is also expected to drive top-line growth in the coming quarters. “

Shares of C.R. Bard, Inc. (NYSE BCR) traded up 0.16% during trading on Thursday, reaching $319.13. 449,022 shares of the company were exchanged. C.R. Bard, Inc. has a 1-year low of $203.63 and a 1-year high of $323.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.90 and a beta of 0.59. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $318.77 and a 200-day moving average price of $282.55.

C.R. Bard (NYSE:BCR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 27th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.92 EPS for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.08. C.R. Bard had a net margin of 14.99% and a return on equity of 48.70%. The company had revenue of $979.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $976.53 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.54 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that C.R. Bard, Inc. will post $11.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 24th were given a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 20th. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.33%. C.R. Bard’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.67%.

C. R. Bard, Inc (Bard) is engaged in designing, manufacturing, packaging, distribution and sale of medical, surgical, diagnostic and patient care devices. The Company operates through the manufacture and sale of medical devices segment. It sells a range of products to hospitals, individual healthcare professionals, extended care facilities and alternate site facilities on a global basis.